Investors spending millions in South Mississippi on new hotels with

Despite high interest rates and an uncertain economy, investors are building hundreds of new hotel rooms in Biloxi and across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The addition of guest rooms will help Biloxi and South Mississippi surpass the 9,000 hotel rooms it had before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The new hotels also come with restaurants, shops and other amenities to entice locals.

Most notable are the locations of the hotels near the beach and in town, styles that range from true Southern to art deco and the mix of national hotels and locally owned.

Biloxi has hotels under construction near the beach and downtown, said Jerry Creel, Biloxi’s community development director, and more about to break ground throughout the city.

Here are some of the hotels on the way to Biloxi and the Coast:

Gracious Southern architecture distinguishes the expansion of the White House Hotel and mimics the historic hotel on U.S. 90 and White Avenue in Biloxi.

The expansion of the White House Hotel on Beach Boulevard in Biloxi is a white Southern beauty. The 55-room hotel is under construction behind the historic beach hotel, and its columns and French doors that lead out to balconies with views of the water create pure charm.

Work continues on The Artesian Hotel in downtown Ocean Springs. The hotel is located next to one of developer Jourdan Nicaud’s other businesses, Rooftop Taco and Tequila Bar.

In Ocean Springs, The Artisian Hotel next to Rooftops on Government Street is expected to be open in time for Cruisin’ The Coast the first week in October, said Jourdan Nicaud. It will have eight hotel rooms upstairs, and Field’s Italian Restaurant by Field Nicaud on the street level.

The Nicaud family is developing hotels and condos near the beach in Pass Christian for short and extended stays.

Cottages by the Gulf opened in March a block from the beach and four more resorts and residential communities are under construction of on the way in the Pass.

Views are of the water and sunny skies at The Beach House, a new development of short term rentals in Pass Christian.

The Beach House, across from Hancock Bank, has two 1 bedroom and four 2 bedroom units and opens later this summer near the harbor.

Pass Bungalows at Market Street and Scenic Drive is being built across from Bacchus restaurant. It will have 36 hotel rooms for out-of-town guests, Field’s Italian Restaurant and shops.

Hotel Vela in Gulfport is coming to a building that once was a clothing store owned by Teel and Ellis Salloum. The boutique hotel will feature Siren Social Club.

Coming soon in downtown Gulfport is Hotel Vela and Siren Social Club at 1409 24th Ave. The 16-room hotel will be on two levels and evoke an era of jazz. It’s within walking distance of the beach and downtown and includes Siren Social Club for locals.

Driftwood Motel in Bay St. Louis opened July 1. The retro hotel captures the charm of the 1960s and ‘70s, but with conveniences like WiFi, a pool and breakfast on the weekends. The 26-room hotel is near the corner of Main Street and U.S. 90 and the guest rooms are smoke free. It’s also close to the town’s pickleball courts.

Two beach properties are going through the review process in Biloxi:

Hotel Rain at 1252 Beach Blvd., west of White Avenue, is being designed with 57 units. Originally planned as Hotel Aqua, “The footprint doesn’t change,” Creel said at the Development Review Committee meeting. It will have one more floor and the architect said all the guest rooms are being moved to the south side of the building so they have water views and don’t look down into yards. A small restaurant and rooftop terrace are planned.

This rendering by Dale Partners Architects shows the Hilton Home 2 Suites hotel planned along Beach Boulevard in East Biloxi.

Home 2 Suites by Hilton is planned at the former Church of the Redeemer site at 612 Beach Boulevard. The hotels are geared to longer stays and like the neighboring Hilton Garden Inn, the four-story, 102-room hotel will be built on a platform to raise it and the swimming pool above the storm surge. The Hurricane Camille memorial at the site will be moved to the Coast Seafood Industry Museum before construction and the framework of the church will be moved to Beauvoir. The protected trees will remain, especially the legendary Ring in the Oak Tree.

“Books have been written about the Ring in the Oak,” Creel said, and it will be protected.

Annette Bird, a model for Down South Magazine, poses in 1961 near the famous Ring in the Oak on the grounds of Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi. The ring is the blue spot on the big limb, in about the center of the photograph. Tree growth has filled in some of the hole since the photograph was taken. The tree is at the site of a proposed Home 2 Suites in Biloxi and will be protected.

Work continues to transform the historic Barq building in Biloxi’s downtown into The District on Howard. The mixed use development will have apartments.

A Choice Hotel will be built along U.S. 90, in front of The Flamingo Beach Inn, at 1749 Beach Blvd. The project originally was proposed in 2018 and the four story, 52-room hotel will be elevated above the storm surge, with a pool on the south side.

Several other hotels are proposed in Biloxi, including:

▪ Tullis Gardens Resort Hotel and Casino in East Biloxi

▪ A Boutique hotel at Main and Water streets in the downtown

▪ Townplace Suites & Fairfield Inn & Suites, on Iron Horse Drive off Cedar Lake Road and Popp’s Ferry Road, near I-10

▪ Hotel, retail center and condos, proposed at the former Landry’s site on Beach Boulevard in west Biloxi, with a 150-room hotel, with retail and condos behind the hotel.

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